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State Name: New Jersey
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State Abbreviation: NJ
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MND NewsWire features plain and simple interpretations of industry related data and events written in a manner that maintains the interest of random readers while still catering to the perspective of a housing market professional.

American households have resumed
what is now nearly a five year effort to decrease their debt. The Household Debt and Credit Report for the
first quarter of 2013 released today from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York
noted that outstanding household debt declined approximately $110 billion in
the quarter compared to the fourth quarter of 2012. The decline was due primarily to reductions
in mortgage and credit card debt.

Household debt was at 11.23 trillion
in the first quarter, down 1.0 percent from the previous quarter and well below
the peak of $12.68 trillion it reached in the third quarter of 2008. Outstanding mortgage debt was $7.93
trillion, down from $8.03 trillion in Q4 2012 and HELOC balances fell $11
billion to $552 billion. Overall
mortgage debt peaked in Q3 2008 at $9.9 trillion.

"After
a temporary deceleration in the previous quarter, the data suggest that
household deleveraging has resumed its previous trajectory," said Wilbert van
der Klaauw, senior vice president and economist at the New York Fed. "We'll
look to see if this pace of debt reduction and delinquency improvements will
persist in upcoming quarters."

Mortgage delinquency rates fell to 5.4 percent
from 5.6 percent and HELOC delinquencies from 3.5 percent to 3.2 percent
quarter-over-quarter. In another
positive development, the share of 30 to 60 day delinquent mortgages that
transitioned to improved from 28 percent in the fourth quarter to 35 percent in
the first while only 1.6 percent of previously current balances moved into
delinquent status compared to 1.8 percent in the fourth quarter. Also positive was a decline for the fourth
consecutive quarter in numbers of individuals who had new foreclosure notations
added to their credit reports; down 12.5 percent to 184,000.

The Fed also said that mortgage originations rose
for the sixth consecutive quarter, to $577 billion.

Credit card debt declined by $19 billion during
the quarter to a total of $660 billion but both student loan debt and auto
loans increased substantially. Student
debt rose $20 billion to $986 billion and auto loans were $11 billion higher at
$794 billion.

Non-mortgage
delinquencies also improved with auto loan rates down one basis point to 3.9
percent, credit card delinquencies falling to 10.2 percent from 10.6 percent
and student loans from 11.7 to 11.2 percent.
The overall 90+ day delinquency rate for all loans fell to 6.0 percent
from 6.3 percent in the fourth quarter and 8.7 percent at the peak three years
ago.

The Quarterly Report is based on data drawn from anonymized Equifax
credit data.

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